The stewards at Monza have demoted Fernando Alonso to tenth on the grid for allegedly blocking Felipe Massa’s final qualifying run. To anyone who watched those last minutes of qualifying, this is as blatantly partisan a decision as it is possible to make. Alonso was always more than a hundred yards ahead of Massa and, if his presence made any difference at all, it helped to carve a hole in the air to increase the Ferrari’s speed along the straights.

Massa said after qualifying that his final attempt at pole had been spoiled by Alonso being ahead of him. Drivers excuse their performances in such ways in the heat of the moment but the stewards had the benefit of the video to see that blocking just was not possible for Alonso. I can only conclude that Italian officials see through red-shaded glasses where Ferrari is concerned.

Coming on top of the idiocies of the mass damper controversy and the forthcoming furore over wheel inserts, this does nothing but bring F1 into disrepute. When stewards can be swayed in their judgements by national sympathies, the whole sport becomes a laughing stock. We are constantly told how professional F1 has become and how much better it is than in “the old days”. On this evidence, the bunch running it should be sacked immediately and replaced with the NASCAR managers.

Kimi Raikkonen continues to be full of surprises, grabbing pole position at Monza when we least expected it. The car may have been a bit light on fuel (and Pedro de la Rosa’s correspondingly heavy - he finished in eighth position), but it takes real talent to beat Ferrari and Schumacher on this circuit. If Kimi is to drive for the Italian team next year, they will not be too unhappy that he beat their man Michael into second on the grid.

The other talking point will be the pace of the BMW Saubers, with Nick Heidfeld taking third and Robert Kubica seventh. At last they have sustained their practice speed into qualifying. Now it remains to be seen whether they can continue this improvement into the race itself. With a bit of luck, we might see another new face on the top step of the podium on Sunday. If Button could do it in Hungary, why should not Heidfeld in Italy?

Fernando Alonso’s times were compromised by the puncture and subsequent tire disintegration he suffered early in Q3. Aerodynamic parts of the bodywork were knocked off by the flailing rubber and he did very well to get the maimed car into fifth position. Alonso will still be a factor in the race, in spite of Michael and Felipe Massa (fourth) being ahead of him on the grid.

The Hondas continued to look good, if a little lower down the order than in Turkey. Jenson Button grabbed sixth and Barrichello ninth. Lately they have produced solid and reliable race performances (still likely since they opted not to use the new-spec engines that have a tendency to blow up rather quickly) and they should be in there with a shout at the end.

The top ten was completed by Giancarlo Fisichella, almost certainly hampered by a heavy fuel load. He too should move into the frame as the race progresses. Otherwise, it was much as expected but the Toyotas were unusually slow. It seems the car does not like high speed circuits.

Ferrari look very strong for a race win here, as usual, but it would be nice to think that Kimi, Alonso and the BMW Saubers are able to mix it with them tomorrow. Ever the romantic, I quite fancy Heidfeld for this one but my head tells me it will be Schumacher.

I told you Massa was coming good. All weekend he has been on Schumacher’s pace and it was no surprise to me that he grabbed pole in the last few minutes of qualifying. In the race, of course, it will be different - Michael will gravitate to the front and Felipe will ride shotgun.

Ferrari and Bridgestone still have their advantage in the heat, obviously, but Renault should take heart from the fact that they are back at the front of the Michelin runners. The gap closes and Alonso should be in with a chance of retaining his championship at the end of the year.

BMW Sauber continue to improve and benefited from Ralf Schumacher’s ten-place demotion from fifth, with Heidfeld inheriting Ralf’s position and Kubica in eighth. Jenson Button looked very fast in the Honda but had slipped down to sixth by the end. I suspect that he will have a good race tomorrow with the team still on a high after Hungary.

The surprise of the session was the disappointing form of the McLarens, Raikkonen managing only seventh and de la Rosa missing the second cut in eleventh. It seems this season that as fast as McLaren make improvements, their rivals do the same. For Mercedes, it must be especially galling to see BMW ease past them.

Michael must be favorite for the race win and a Ferrari one-two looks quite likely too. But racing is a funny old game and usually confounds our best guesses. So I’ll not make any prediction but admit that I would dearly love to see the Honda team amaze themselves and everyone else with another win for Jenson Button.

Well, well, everything suddenly becomes very interesting in Hungary. With Fernando Alonso incurring a two seconds qualifying penalty yesterday, it looked as though the race was being handed to Michael Schumacher on a plate. But this morning Michael was given an identical penalty and, in spite of being the fastest man on the track, will start from 11th spot on the grid. Fernando is down in 15th after taking his medicine.

So fortune and the stewards have ensured that there will be some desperate battles in tomorrow’s race. And the fact that Kimi Raikkonen grabbed the pole from under Massa’s nose makes things even more interesting. Felipé is still in a good position (2nd) to help his team leader, however, whereas Fisichella’s 7th means he is unlikely to be of much assistance to Alonso.

Things are further complicated by Jenson Button being demoted from 4th to 14th as a result of his engine change yesterday. That puts him behind Michael but ahead of Alonso and his speed at this track will make him very difficult to pass. I can see Fernando being bottled up behind the Brit’s Honda while the Ferraris recede into the distance.

So it looks as though we are set for a lot of overtaking tomorrow and this on a track renowned for its lack of passing places. It has the potential for heroism and tears as some force their way through and others overdo it. If the FIA are genuinely meddling with the championship in an effort to make it more exciting, as suggested by Flavio Briatore yesterday, they couldn’t have done a better job.

Realistically, the race still seems to be between the Ferraris and Raikkonen. Ferrari have retained much of their advantage over the rest and were able to set times a second quicker than the others in most sessions. Kimi will have his work cut out to stay ahead of Massa and I have no doubt Schumacher will surge through the field in customary fashion, with Ross Brawn’s tactical brain gaining a few places in the pit stops as well.

This race must surely be one of the most severe tests yet of Alonso’s ability.